My winter visit to Eswatini was impactful from the get-go. The jam-packed agenda included our annual Hope Rising summit, which focused on gender-based violence this year. We are grateful to our partners at the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse, who helped organize, publicize and produce this very impactful event. A key objective of this trip was to prepare for the…
Gogo Khumalo: Caretaker of 12
Emelina Khumalo is the caretaker of 12 grandchildren, who range in age from 4-12 years. Most of the children are girls, and four share the same surname. Due to her scarce resources, Gogo Khumalo took the four children to their father’s home and tried to get him to look after them. Yet the father abandoned the girls the very next…
A brighter future: Ncamiso Simelane
In 2022 Ncamiso Simelane lost his father, and his mother, who is unemployed and has four other children, was unable to pay for his school fees. SOHO has been assisting with these fees, which has enabled Ncamiso to continue his education. A very bright young man, Ncamiso has achieved multiple certificates of academic excellence. What’s more, even though Siswati is…
Growing hope: Gogo Khunene
Grace Khunene is the caretaker of 16 grandchildren, ranging in age from 6 months to 12 years old. These children were abandoned by their parents either because they could not afford to support them, had to seek employment or died from AIDS. Prior to SOHO’s assistance, the family not only lacked food and clothing but also funds for the older…
Promise: a true survivor
There are some stories where the odds of survival are truly one in a million. Such is the story of Promise Mavuso. In 2003 Promise’s father died, which scattered the family of nine children to whatever relatives would take them. Like so many children who are orphaned through HIV/AIDS, life was no longer safe. Within a short period Promise lived in…
Interview on 3ABN Today
J.D. and Shelley Quinn of the Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN) talk with Cynthia Prime and Kimberly Pichot, dean of Andrews University’s College of Professions, about SOHO’s transformational work in helping orphans and vulnerable children in Eswatini. Watch video
Three faces of courage
Eight-year-old Mbali Nomusa Mathabela was left to fend for herself after her father abandoned her at Marekamp, where she hid in the bushes from potential abusers day and night. Eventually Mbali received assistance from an elderly Gogo who gave her a place to stay in her shanty, and SOHO stepped in to provide a food package each month. Yet because…
Helping Rwandan refugees
Fleeing genocide in Rwanda and hoping to find a new beginning, the Frederick family arrived in Eswatini a couple of years ago. The parents and their eight children first stayed at a small refugee camp at Mpaka. Among their many challenges, they did not understand the language of their host country and had few possessions beyond the clothes on their…